HLA-DQ beta 1 typing and non-Asp57 alleles in the aborigine population of Senegal.

Abstract

To investigate, in Senegalese subjects, the frequency of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DQ beta 1 alleles and their role in susceptibility to insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). HLA-DQ beta 1 typing was done in 55 IDDM subjects and 118 nondiabetic control subjects by means of polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism. Alleles bearing a codon for an Asp residue at position 57 in the DQ beta-chain were associated with a significantly lower risk of IDDM. Alleles 0201 and 0302 (Ala57) were positively associated with diabetes, but allele 0501 (Val57) was less frequent in IDDM subjects than in control subjects. HLA-DQ beta 1 alleles may be genetic susceptibility markers for IDDM in the Senegalese population, as they are in Caucasian populations.